Microsoft Office 15 technical preview kicks-off

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Microsoft has unleashed Office 15 into a technical preview; the next generation of its inter-related desktop office solutions.

Don't worry, you haven't just emerged from a coma after three years and missed out on all the speadsheet-based fun that Office 2013 and Office 2014 would no doubt have provided - Office 15 is just a codename.

We think it is labelled-so because it's the 15th version of Office. Wikipedia already has 15 listed but we're going to pretend that one of those didn't really exist and then our theory fits.

A select group of customers will be given access to the platform, one which will pack a plethora of task-based products. A public testing period will kick off in the summer - by which time you can also have the public beta release of Windows 8 up an running on your PC (it's out next month). It will be like computing in 2013, but in 2012. Not as exciting as the plot of Back To The Future but still impressive time bending nevertheless.

"Office 15 is the most ambitious undertaking yet for the Office Division," said PJ Hough, CVP of development, Microsoft Office Division. "With Office 15, for the first time ever, we will simultaneously update our cloud services, servers, and mobile and PC clients for Office, Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, Project, and Visio.

"Quite simply, Office 15 will help people work, collaborate, and communicate smarter and faster than ever before."